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Arthropod acoustic communication is a primary focus at the Patek Lab. Here you can find our acoustically oriented research projects along with sounds and video of spiny lobsters (Palinuridae) and mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda).

Biological armor in mantis shrimp: new paper published in the Journal of Experimental Biology

Postdoc Jennifer Taylor (now faculty at the Indiana University - Purdue University) and Sheila Patek have published a new paper in the Journal of Experimental Biology about the amazing tail plate (telson) of mantis shrimp. These animals strike each other's telsons during fights and assess which animal is the most "powerful". This paper provides the first mechanical analysis of this telson and the results show that the telson mechanically behaves like a punching bags with mechanical properties that convey information about its size. The Journal of Experimental Biology wrote a feature of the story (attached here) and the full paper can be read at the journal's website.